India is a land of richness, where every corner has a beauty so pure it can leave anyone spellbound. Recently, a natural treasure hidden deep inside the Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh, called the Green Cave, has been opened to tourists by the Chhattisgarh Government.
All About Chhattisgarh’s Green Cave
The recently opened Green Cave is a hidden beauty located in the Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh. This wonder, now available for tourism, is located in the Bastar district, which was once affected by Maoist activity.
This delicate wonder is formed by the microscopic green-coloured microbial layers found on the limestone formations on the cave’s walls and ceiling. These formations, which are the major attraction of the site, are known as stalactites.
Formed over the years through geological processes, this cave can only survive under specific conditions, such as frequent short exposures to sunlight, high humidity, a fixed temperature, and a lower availability of nutrients.
Field Director of the Kanger Valley National Park, Naveen Kumar, revealed, “We are planning to open the Green Cave for tourists as a part of the project for development of ecotourism after January this year. Necessary infrastructure is being developed to make it a destination of ecotourism.”
As per Kedar Kashyap, Forest Minister, Chhattisgarh, “The cave’s inclusion would boost local employment opportunities and accelerate regional development. It will add a new dimension to tourism in the valley.” The once-prevalent Maoist activity has decreased in the area, thus driving officials towards putting this hidden wonder in front of the whole world.
This move has, however, drawn objections from activists and other experts who view this as a potential threat to the site and its beauty. Many experts opine that opening a geologically sensitive site like this one for tourism would expose it to various threats and damage.
According to Prof. Mahesh G. Thakkar, Director of the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, “Increased dust, noise, vibration, and altered humidity due to tourist footfall can lead to both immediate and long-term impacts on the cave environment.”
Further, Thakkar explains, “Opening the Green Cave to public access without comprehensive baseline scientific, ecological, and environmental impact assessment studies is extremely risky and scientifically unsound. Such actions can lead to irreversible damage. Once disturbed, these systems rarely, if ever, recover on human time scales.”
A 2024 study by ScienceDirect titled Advancing Tourism Sustainability in Show Caves highlights that “the touristic use of caves may jeopardize the conservation of these fragile ecosystems.” Caves are ecologically sensitive, and even minor disturbances can cause a lasting negative impact on them.
Further, an article by Springer Nature titled A Global Perspective on Sustainable Show Cave Tourism reveals that “the modification of the cave atmosphere composition and microclimate” is another negative impact of human visits to caves.
Additionally, the influx of carbon dioxide caused by breathing or the introduction of particles such as bacteria, lint, etc., can also alter the natural composition of these highly sensitive zones.
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What Similar Sites Around The World Reveal
Across the world, several such natural sites, formed over the years through multiple geological and hydrological processes, have been heavily impacted by tourism. Eventually, these geological wonders have turned into examples of what unchecked human access can do to fragile ecosystems.
One of the most highly visited caves worldwide is the Waitomo Glowworm Cave, a natural site that is known for its bioluminescent display of glowworms. This cave is located in Waitomo, New Zealand, and is famous among tourists for the blue-green display of glowworms called Arachnocampa luminosa, which attracts visitors from all across the world.
This cave, however, has been affected by human factors that have posed a threat to its microclimate. An increased number of visits by tourists has resulted in the build-up of carbon dioxide, which could lead to the corrosion of speleothems, or the mineral deposits in the cave. This unrestricted airflow can also be harmful to the glowworms, making preservation a very important step for this natural wonder.
Another example of naturally formed caves around the world is the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. These are identified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and comprise over 120 limestone caves, known for their size, structure, and beauty. Reports note that even a small amount of litter or foreign substances can alter the ecosystem of the underground caves.
A recent incident that took place at the site, where a discarded bag of snacks was left inside the cave, created alarm among park officials. The management released a statement: “At the scale of human perspective, a spilled snack bag may seem trivial, but to the life of the cave it can be world-changing.”
The officials explained, “The processed corn, softened by the humidity of the cave, formed the perfect environment to host microbial life and fungi.” Further, they added, “Cave crickets, mites, spiders, and flies soon organize into a temporary food web, dispersing the nutrients to the surrounding cave and formations. Molds spread higher up the nearby surfaces, fruit, die, and stink. And the cycle continues.”
Another well-known example is the Skocjan Caves in Slovenia, another UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its waterfalls, as well as one of the largest underground chambers known to humankind. This underground site, too, is a highly delicate natural wonder, extremely reactive to lighting and other devices installed underground, as per a report by ScienceDirect.
The report highlights, “Many electric devices in the underground influence the cave environment by producing ultrasonic noise in a broad spectrum and, in the case of lamps, by also affecting atmospheric temperature and humidity.”
In a nutshell, caves are ecologically delicate and do not respond well to excessive and unregulated human exposure. These examples from across the world suggest that even a minute change in their natural ecosystem can trigger an ecological imbalance in these places.
With the Green Cave in Chhattisgarh being opened to tourism comes the responsibility to protect and preserve this hidden natural beauty of India from negative impacts that might take thousands of years to undo.
Images: Google Images
Sources: The New Indian Express, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ScienceDirect
Find the blogger: @shubhangichoudhary_29
This post is tagged under: Chhattisgarh Green Cave, Kanger Valley National Park, Bastar tourism, India caves, ecotourism India, geological wonders of India, limestone caves, stalactites, cave conservation, sustainable tourism, fragile ecosystems, show caves, environmental impact of tourism, Indian national parks
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, copyright over any of the images used; these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly email us.
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